The Undead Hordes
The Undead Hordes is one of the playable races in Disciples series. Formerly an ancient race of magic-wielders who were slaughtered by the goddess Mortis only to be raised by her to become an undead army. Mortis's protector of the capital is Ashgan, former chief priest of the people Mortis first turned. Short History Disciples II: Dark Prophecy Somewhere near the beginning of time, Mortis, that name which now causes even the most stout-hearted to tremble, was the goddess of Life. She ruled the elder race with her husband, Gallean, and they were as one being, such was their devotion to each other. But Wotan, god of the Mountain Clans, coveted the glorious lands of Mortis and Gallean. Certain that only by severing the bond between Mortis and her consort would he be able to wrest control of the lands, Wotan transformed himself into a wolf and tore out the heart of Gallean. With godly might, he hurled the still-beating heart into the sun, that it would never be recovered. But Mortis, in her grief, followed the heart, and was consumed by fire… In the arid lands south of the realm there existed a prosperous civilization of mystics called the Alkmaar. With a mere wave of her skeletal hand, Mortis unleashed the plague on these quiet and unsuspecting people. Within weeks, thousands lay dead and dying. Other cities rapidly followed. Just as there had once been no limit to Mortis’s ability to create new life, there was now no end to the savage ways she devised to inflict suffering and death on others – the very creatures she had once created. The goddess of life had found a new purpose… Engrossed in her own world of hatred and misery, Mortis set about creating a hideous army; her warriors were the desolate dead, many of them victims of Mortis’s own wicked hand. There would be no afterlife for these wretched souls; they marched ever onwards, fulfilling the vengeful fantasies of their dark mistress. Her shambling soldiers decimated the terrified Mountain Clan warriors, and Wotan could only shrink back in horror… When the High King Sturmir Thunderhammer lay dead on the field of battle, Mortis knew that she had avenged herself and her husband. She let loose her grip on the skeletal army that had served her so well, and exiled herself from the land of the living for many years. Love for Gallean still burned in Mortis’s foul heart, and she waited in solitude for the return of her husband. For eons, the fleshless goddess wandered in torment through her own dark mind. Where was Gallean? She cried out his name, but she was answered only by her own distorted voice. At long last, Mortis found her way out of this maddening labyrinth. If Gallean would not come to her, it was because he could not come to her. To revive Gallean, divine blood was required. And when the spirits revealed the existence of a holy child, Mortis swore that, if need be, an ocean of blood would be spilled to reunite her with her beloved… Ten years have passed since Mortis took out her revenge on Wotan's children for the death of her husband, Gallean. Now Mortis waits at Gallean's side for him to recover from Wotan's assault on him, but his regeneration can take an eternity, and patience has never been one of Mortis' virtues. She once again sends forth her undead minions, this time not to avenge the death of a god, but to find a way to resurrect one. Disciples III: Renaissance The inhabitants of Nevendaar are strong and valiant. Those who are not courageous enough find it hard to live in this world, for it is very dangerous place to live, and one can die at any moment. But even the most valorous and brave tremble at the sound of Mortis' name – for she, and her children, the Undead, can inspire fear in anyone. For even in death, the ones who fall at their hands will not find rest; but instead they will rise again and join the army of their own killers, becoming the worst enemy to those who were once dear to them. The history of the undead begins long ago, with the sorcerers of Alkmaar. Killed by the plague created by Mortis, they formed the core of her army. The undead cannot create life, and for this reason they should have been extinct long ago – but instead they can share something they have in abundance – death. So more and more recruits gather under the banner of the incorporeal goddess… for no one can escape his own demise, and sooner or later everyone will have to go. And when you are about to die, your only hope to avoid this terrible fate is praying to the gods that they let you go for good. The Undead Hordes Gameplay The Undead Hordes have a very strong army in Disciples 2. They range from powerful fighter units, but the real strength of the Undead Hordes are their mage units. Arch-liches are arguably the strongest direct damage spellcasters, but only downside is that they can't hurt another Undead creature or unit immune to Death attacks. Undead Horde party gets even stronger if presence of Elder Vampires is felt healing entire armies. Shades are also backbone of every Undead army and they can be seen in every battle along with Nosferatus, Liches or Death Knights. They make a return in Disciples 3: Resurrection. More powerful than ever. Pros: - Lots of Multi target attacks - Units with weapon immunity - Lots of ways to disable enemies - Good offensive magic - Dragons ;) Cons: - Few dedicated single target ranged damage - Requires huge amounts of experience and quite expensive buildings for it's units to level up. - No defensive and utility spells - Only two major damage sources Weapon and Death, (Fire from the Lich Queen Hero) WARNING!!! CAMPAIGN SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!! It is highly advised to take the Lich Queen as your primary hero in the Undead Campaign of Disciples 2, primarily because there will be stages later in the campaign where you will be fighting other undeads, even facing those that are immune to both Death attacks and Weapon attacks. Because of this you could potentially end in fighting situations where both armies are completely immune to everything the other army can do since the Undead units DO NOT have ANY other source of damage besides death and weapon, with the exeption of the Lich Queen who deals fire damage. For this reason the Lich Queen is the best hero to level during the Undead campaign because she can easily get past those situations where the other two heroes and every other undead unit would be incapable and you would have to kill enemy parties by using items in combat and spells on the map lenghtening these stages with several days while you accumulate enough resources. SPOILERS END HERE Units Leaders The Undead Horde has balanced heroes. Death Knight is a strong warrior lord, yet Nosferatu gets his full potential when he reaches level 20 or higher. Lich Queen is the only undead unit that has magic fire attack which is necessary when fighting other undeads. * Death Knight Warrior Lord. The Death Knight's ferocity in battle is unmatched. His high leadership and flying ability are his greatest assets. * Lich Queen Mage Lord. Female Necromancers live after death as the dreadful Lich Queen. Their unholy knowledge allows them to use staffs and scrolls. * Nosferat Guildmaster Hero. The Nosferats drain the life force of their enemies in battle, weakening his opponents while feeding his own evil soul. Fighter The Undead Hordes has strong fighter units. They can be chosen within two trees, one being pure undead creatures such as Zombies or Skeletons, and other being human worshiping Mortiss, The Templars. The Zombie branch has the advantage of increased HP and Death immunity as well as more upgrades in the tree, whereas the Templar branch has lower XP requirements and wards for Fire, Water, Air and Earth. first tree * Fighter Basic Undead Hordes fighter unit. Can be upgraded to Zombie or Templar. These Fighters live again to crush the enemies of Mortis. A very balanced fighting unit, having big initiative (50), moderate HP (120) as well as appropriate damage (25). * Zombie Second Undead Hordes fighter unit. Dead souls who have been transformed by ritual into mindless Zombies. Has 170 HP hit points, 50 Initiative, and 50 Damage Points and is also the first unit in the branch to harbor Death Immunity. * Skeleton Warrior Third Undead Hordes fighting unit. The Skeleton Warrior is compelled by the will of Mortis to fight alongside the Undead. It has increased in statistics in a standard manner compared to the Zombie. * Skeleton Champion Fourth Undead Hordes Fighting unit. Great fighting unit of the undead, the Skeleton Champion raises his bony fists against the living. It has increased in statistics in a standard manner compared to the Skeleton Warrior. * Phantom Warrior Fifth Undead Hordes unit. Warriors who betrayed their comrades in battle are condemned to fight forevermore. It has increased in statistics in a standard manner compared to the Skeleton Champion. It also has a 50% chance to Paralyze the opponent it attacks as a side effect. second tree * Templar Second Undead Horde fighter unit. The Templar subverts religious rites in order to honor Queen Mortis. They are impervious to the elements. It has slightly less HP than the Zombie (160) as well as wards to Fire, Water, Air and Earth. * Dark Lord Third Undead Horde fighter unit. Mortis grants the Dark Lords control over the elements as reward for their servitude. It has slightly less HP than the Skeleton Warrior (200) as well as wards to Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Mage Units Mage Units for the Undead are extremely powerful and have a multitude of branches to choose from. * Initiate Basic mage unit. Initiates have been trained to spread death and disease upon living armies. * Warlock Second mage unit. Can upgrade into Necromancer or Wrath. Warlocks become more effective over time in their quest to spread of pestilence on the lands. * Necromancer Third mage unit. Can upgrade into Lich or Vampire. The Necromancer has perfected his craft; pestilence will engulf any army he encounters * Wraith Third mage unit. Can upgrade into Death or Wight. Wraiths pass over from the land of the undead to spread pestilence. * Lich Fourth mage unit. Those who cultivate arcane knowledge in life become Liches; they infect the living with deadly plague winds. * Vampire Fourth mage unit''Men who have rejected the words of the Highfather become vampires. They sustain themselves by draining the life force of innocents.'' * Wight Fourth mage unit. These traitorous warriors prey upon the living as dreadful Wights. * Death Fourth mage unit. The avatar and messenger of death, gathering souls in the land of the living. * Archlich Fifth mage unit. The avatar and messenger of death, gathering souls in the land of the living. * Elder Vampire Fifth mage unit. Initiates have been trained to spread death and disease upon living armies. Ranged Attack Units * Ghost Basic range unit. Ghosts are spirits bound by evil to the earth; they join their undead brethren's crusade. * Specter Second range unit. A Specter's forceful spirit makes his paralyzing attack stronger. * Shade Third range unit. The Shade's horrifying appearance inspires a paralyzing fear in all. Support Units * Werewolf Special Undead unit. The werewolf rampages by moonlight; He cannot be killed by any blade. ''Immune to all physical attacks, these expensive yet powerful units are good for low-level support armies and rod planters. * Wyvern Basic Support unit. ''Sorcerers resurrect lifeless dragons, creating Wyverns to fight in their Undead armies. * Doomdrake Second Support Unit. These awesome beasts breathed fire while living; now undead, they exhale poisonous vapors on enemy troops. * Deathdragon Third Support Unit. Deathdragons terrorize the land from beyond the grave; their poisonous breath envelops entire armies during battle. * Dracolich Fourth Support Unit. This great undead dragon pours death down on its enemies. * Dreadwyrm Fourth Support Unit. The Dreadwyrm is summoned up to rain their poisonous malice upon the land. Summonable Units * Skeleton Weak but fast unit that serves as scout the Undead Hordes. * Evil Ent Strong Guardian of the Undead Hordes. * Nightmare Extremely unpredictable guardian that is sent to tear apart any intruder it encounters. * Thanatos Extremely Strong Guardian that is sent in the front battlefields to wipe out his enemies. Category:Playable Races